Wormhole
view of the Barzan wormhole (2366)]] view of the Barzan wormhole (2373)]] A wormhole is a "tunnel" connecting two separate points of space-time. It consists of two "holes" in space-time connected by a conduit outside normal space, through 'subspace'. Since this conduit through subspace is shorter than the distance between the two points in normal space, almost instantaneous travel is possible between the two points. If a wormhole is large enough, and stable enough, a starship (or other traveller) could enter one end and exit the other, thus shortening a journey. A wormhole can also connect two different points in time since the conduit is outside normal space-time, enabling it to return at any place, at any time. Before knowing where the Harry Kim wormhole ends, Tuvok stated that there is a 75% chance that it doesn't lead to the Alpha Quadrant. We may conclude that wormholes never leave the Milky Way (VOY: "Eye of the Needle"). Natural wormholes Wormholes and the possibility of using them for time travel had been recognized by human scientists. In 2368, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]] agreed with faux historian Berlinghoff Rasmussen that using knowledge gained by means of time travel through a wormhole, for example, in order to save an endangered planet could allow the "next Adolf Hitler" or Khan Noonien Singh to come into being. According to the Captain, first year philosophy students had been asked the question ever since the first wormholes had been discovered. (TNG: "A Matter of Time") No known naturally-occurring stable wormholes have yet been discovered in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. The only likely candidate, the Barzan wormhole, was found to be unstable at its far terminus. However, several relatively stable wormhole-like phenomena have been reported in the Delta Quadrant. (TNG: "The Price", VOY: "Night", "Counterpoint", et al) Artificial wormholes The only currently known artificial wormhole is the Bajoran wormhole, created by beings known to the Bajorans as the Prophets, who dwell within. This wormhole is stable enough for long-term, two-way space travel between the Bajor system and the Idran system in the Gamma Quadrant. (DS9: "Emissary") In the 2370s, the Federation investigated methods of creating artificial wormholes. The project was headed by Dr. Lenara Kahn of the Trill Science Ministry, who eventually developed a workable theory that she tested aboard the [[USS Defiant (NX-74205)|USS Defiant]] in 2372. The technique involved generating a subspace tensor matrix in the 25,000-30,000 cochrane range, and then sending out a magneton pulse using a target drone. The pulse would then interact with the matrix to produce a subspace distortion, which would become an opening in the space-time continuum. The first test of this technique produced a wormhole that was stable for 24.3 seconds. On the second test, a class-4 probe was launched through the wormhole to simulate the passage of an interstellar spacecraft. However, the probe's shields unexpectedly interacted with the tetryon field, collapsing the wormhole and producing a massive graviton shockwave that heavily damaged the Defiant. (DS9: "Rejoined") A wormhole-like distortion can also be caused by an imbalanced matter-antimatter mix ratio in a warp drive. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) List of wormholes *Bajoran wormhole *Barzan wormhole *Harry Kim wormhole Category:Time travel Category:Astronomical objects de:Wurmlochnl:Wormgat